Rick Chiarelli is having heart surgery. Here are 3 things you need to know

Now that Coun. Rick Chiarelliis undergoing open-heart surgery, it raises a number of questions not just about the College ward councillor'shealth, but also about procedural issues at city hall and in the community.

• Coun. Rick Chiarelli to get quadruple bypass heart surgery
• ANALYSIS: Councillors taking a stand on Chiarelli, the only way they can

Here are the three key things you need to know about what could happen next.

Chiarelli's leave of absence

Back in October, council denied Chiarelli's request for a leave of absence after he saidhe was not well enough to work. The councillor had provided a medical note, which was made public andclearly showed he was experiencing some health issues he'd fainted, was taken to hospital by ambulance, and was undergoing "cardiac evaluation" but council felt the exact nature and extent of his illness seemed somewhat vague.

At the time, council felt it didn't have enough information to grant Chiarellian indefinite paid leave.

• Chiarelli's leave request denied

But recent news of Chiarelli's quadruple bypass is a different story.

Councillors can only be away from city hall for three months without permission, and it will take longer than that to recover from this sort of surgery. Chiarelli will have to ask again for leave before the end of March.

This time, council is expected to grant it quite readily.

Serving residents of College ward

This past Wednesday, council unanimously approved a motion relieving councillors Scott Moffatt and Allan Hubley of their official roleshelping represent College ward residents while Chiarelli was unwell.

Moffatttold reporters after the council meetingthat in the past few weeks, Chiarelli had been answering emails, dealing with city staff and engaging onan issue of $20,000 for a park. In other words, he appeared to be working.

But now that Chiarelli is undergoing serious surgery, he will be out of commission for some time.

"Who is going to stand up for us at city hall? Who is going to represent what should be done in our community?" asked Joan Clark,president of the Cityview Community Association.

Clark said she's hadheart bypass surgery herself and knows it takes time to recover.

"He has to give up what his job is to take care of himself. He can't play the political game of wanting to keep control when he's a situation of recovering from a serious operation."

Council will have to reassign one or two councillors to officially help outCollege ward again but that can't happen until late January, when council next meets.

In the meantime, Moffatt says he's already promised some groups to help them with a few issues including the redevelopment of the Merivale Mall andpoints out there's nothing stopping councillors from helping residents from other wards.

"The ward boundaries are theelectoral boundaries, but the reality is we're all city councillors. So we can help out anyone across this city," Moffatt told CBC.

Integrity commissioner's investigation continues

Chiarelli has been in the spotlight this fall after aCBC investigation reported the councillor'salleged inappropriate behaviour, such as asking former staffers and job applicants about whether they'd be willing to go braless to work events.

Chiarelli has denied these allegations.

• Chiarelli affair has cast 'shadow' over city, mayor says
• Former Chiarelli staffer comes forward with familiar tale
• Chiarelli pens denial, blames allegations on 'mob mentality'

Integrity commissioner Robert Marleau does not comment on whether an investigation is ongoing, but CBC has learned from sources that several women have filed formal complaints. As well, hired investigators have spent hours and hours taking testimony under oath from complainants and witnesses.

That information gathering is expected to continue.

However, the process already expected to take months could be delayed if Chiarelli is not well enough to respond officially to the allegations.